American Sign Language I

Course Description

ASL1140C — American Sign Language I is the first course in the American Sign Language (ASL) sequence at Florida public colleges. It is a 4-credit integrated lecture-and-laboratory course (the "C" suffix indicates the integrated lab format) meeting approximately 5-6 hours per week, with most institutions accumulating 80 total contact hours over a 15-week semester. It introduces students to ASL as a natural, fully grammatical language used by Deaf communities in the United States and English-speaking Canada.

ASL is a complete natural language with its own grammar, syntax, and phonology — not a signed form of English. Florida public colleges treat ASL as a foreign language for the purpose of satisfying the Associate in Arts (A.A.) foreign-language competency requirement, alongside Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian. The course emphasizes the development of visual-spatial communication skills, including the use of three-dimensional signing space, classifiers, non-manual markers (facial expressions and body movement that carry grammatical information), and the spatial-temporal sequencing characteristic of ASL discourse.

The course also introduces students to Deaf culture as a distinct linguistic and cultural community. Deaf culture in the United States has a documented history, shared values, social norms, art forms (including ASL poetry and storytelling), and active community institutions (schools for the Deaf, Deaf clubs, Deaf-owned businesses, Gallaudet University as the world's first university designed for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students). Course content explicitly distinguishes Deaf with a capital "D" (referring to the cultural community) from deaf with a lowercase "d" (referring to the audiological condition).

The course is offered at approximately 21 Florida public institutions, including Miami Dade College, Broward College, Palm Beach State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Seminole State College, Valencia College, Tallahassee State College, Pensacola State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida, Hillsborough Community College, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and Florida State University.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Produce and recognize the manual alphabet (fingerspelling) with accurate handshape, palm orientation, and movement.
• Produce and recognize numbers 0-100, including numeric incorporation in age, time, and quantity contexts; recognize the visual-spatial grammar of numbers.
• Develop a core ASL vocabulary of approximately 300 conceptually accurate signs across the topical domains addressed in the course (greetings, personal information, family, daily activities, classroom, food, time, weather).
• Apply basic ASL grammatical principles, including topic-comment sentence structure, the use of non-manual markers for yes/no questions, wh-questions, and negation, and elementary spatial-grammatical reference (use of signing space to track conversational participants).
• Exchange basic personal information in ASL at the ACTFL Novice-Mid to Novice-High proficiency range — including introductions, descriptions of family and daily routine, expression of likes and dislikes, and basic question-and-answer in real-time conversation.
• Demonstrate appropriate visual attention behavior, including consistent eye contact during signed conversation, recognition of conversation-initiation strategies (waving, light tap, table tap), and conversational turn-taking patterns appropriate to the Deaf community.
• Demonstrate knowledge of foundational Deaf-culture content, including the distinction between "Deaf" (cultural) and "deaf" (audiological), the role of Gallaudet University, the history of ASL in the United States, the role of residential schools for the Deaf (including the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine), and contemporary issues in the Deaf community.
• Recognize and avoid common cultural missteps, including the offensive nature of terms like "deaf-mute" and "hearing-impaired," the etiquette of getting a Deaf person's attention, and the role of certified interpreters in cross-cultural communication.
• Participate constructively in language laboratory and immersive practice, including silent-voice classroom protocols, partner practice, video review of self-recorded signing, and structured conversational exchanges.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on the institution and instructor, students may also:

• Attend a Deaf community event (Deaf coffee chat, ASL theater, silent dinner) as an authentic immersive experience and report on the experience in a structured reflection.
• Develop introductory ASL fingerspelling reception speed through systematic practice with online tools.
• Survey regional and demographic variation in ASL, including African American Sign Language (Black ASL) and generational variation.
• Begin awareness of related signed languages, including Pidgin Signed English (PSE), Signed Exact English (SEE), and the contrasts between ASL and Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ), British Sign Language (BSL), and other national sign languages.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• ASL Phonology — the five parameters of sign formation: handshape, palm orientation, location, movement, and non-manual markers; minimal-pair distinctions.
• Manual Alphabet and Fingerspelling — production and reception of the ASL manual alphabet; basic word-level fingerspelling.
• Numbers 0-100 — production and reception of cardinal and ordinal numbers; introduction to numeric incorporation in age and time signs.
• Core Vocabulary — topical vocabulary covering: greetings and introductions, personal information, family, demographics, daily routine, classroom and school, food and drink, time concepts, and weather.
• Basic ASL Grammar — topic-comment sentence structure; yes/no questions and wh-questions with non-manual markers; negation; basic spatial reference and pronoun use.
• Non-Manual Markers — facial expression and head/body position as grammatical features (not merely emotional expression); the role of eye gaze, eyebrow position, mouth movement, and head tilt.
• Visual Attention and Conversational Etiquette — getting a Deaf person's attention; sustained eye contact during signed conversation; appropriate conversation-interrupting behavior.
• Deaf Culture Introduction — distinction between Deaf and deaf; Gallaudet University; history of ASL in the United States; role of residential schools for the Deaf, including the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine.
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity — terminology to avoid ("deaf-mute," "hearing-impaired"); the role of certified interpreters; the difference between "ASL student" and "ASL user."

Optional Topics

• Receptive Fingerspelling Practice — using online ASL fingerspelling generators (Lifeprint, ASLPro, Bill Vicars resources).
• Regional Variation — African American Sign Language (Black ASL), generational variation, regional sign variants.
• Comparison with Other Signed Languages — distinction from Pidgin Signed English (PSE), Signed Exact English (SEE); contrast with British Sign Language, Langue des Signes Québécoise, and other national sign languages.
• Deaf Community Event Attendance — guided immersive experience at a local Deaf community gathering.

Resources & Tools

• Primary textbook — institution-dependent; common textbooks include ASL at Work (Newell, Caccamise, Boardman, Holcomb), Signing Naturally: Units 1-6 (Smith, Lentz, Mikos) for Level I and Signing Naturally: Units 7-12 for Level II, and Master ASL! (Zinza). All major textbooks include companion DVDs or online video content essential for the visual-language nature of the course.
• Online video resources — Lifeprint.com (Bill Vicars' free ASL University), ASLPro.com, the Gallaudet University ASL resources, and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind public resources.
• Video recording capability — smartphone or webcam for student self-recording of expressive practice; many institutions require students to upload signed video assignments to Canvas, Flipgrid, or similar platforms.
• ASL dictionary references — Handspeak, SigningSavvy, the ASL Dictionary App, Lifeprint Dictionary.
• Deaf community attendance opportunities — local Deaf coffee chat events, ASL meetup groups, Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind public events, regional Deaf festivals.
• Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) — the state institution in St. Augustine; many Florida colleges have established relationships supporting student observation and immersive experiences.
• Gallaudet University — the world's only liberal-arts university designed for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students; reference resource for Deaf culture, history, and ASL linguistics.

Career Pathways

ASL coursework satisfies the foreign-language requirement for Florida Associate in Arts (A.A.) degrees and supports careers in fields where ASL competency is valued, particularly:

• ASL-English Interpreter — Florida public colleges offer Associate in Science degrees in ASL/English Interpreting, with strong programs at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, St. Petersburg College, Tallahassee State College, and Valencia College. National certification through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) requires a bachelor's degree and passing the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) examination.
• Deaf Education — teachers of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing in Florida's K-12 public schools, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and itinerant Deaf-education positions across school districts. Florida certification typically requires bachelor's-level coursework in Deaf education plus ASL proficiency.
• Healthcare — nurses, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, physicians, and physician assistants working with Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients benefit substantially from ASL coursework; AdventHealth, Mayo Clinic Florida, and other major Florida healthcare systems specifically value bilingual ASL-English staff.
• Social Work and Counseling — Florida social workers, counselors, and family service workers serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing populations.
• K-12 Education — mainstream classroom teachers in Florida districts with Deaf or hard-of-hearing students; school counselors and resource specialists.
• Public Service and Law Enforcement — Florida public-safety, law-enforcement, and emergency-services personnel with ASL competency are increasingly valued under ADA Title II/III compliance obligations.
• Theme Park and Hospitality Industry — Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and major Florida hospitality employers maintain accessibility and guest-services positions that benefit from ASL competency.

Special Information

Foreign Language Competency Requirement

ASL coursework at Florida public colleges satisfies the Foreign Language Competency requirement for the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, alongside Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Russian. The two-semester sequence (ASL1140 + ASL1150) typically satisfies the A.A. competency requirement. Some Florida public universities require additional language coursework beyond the A.A. competency level for specific majors; students should consult the receiving institution's catalog for major-specific language requirements.

Articulation Caveat — Transfer to Specific Programs

Students should verify foreign-language requirements with the receiving institution before relying on ASL to satisfy a specific program's language requirement. Most Florida public universities accept ASL for the general foreign-language requirement, but some specialized programs at four-year institutions may require a spoken (non-ASL) foreign language for their specific degree path. This is particularly worth checking for international studies, foreign-service preparation, and certain humanities majors at the upper-division level.

Course Format

The "C" suffix on ASL1140C indicates an integrated lecture-and-laboratory format — the course combines theoretical instruction (ASL linguistics, Deaf culture, grammar) with substantial practical signing practice within the same class session. Most Florida institutions schedule ASL1140C as a 4-credit course meeting 5-6 hours per week, with approximately 80 total contact hours over a 15-week semester. A small number of institutions offer the parallel non-"C" course (ASL1140) with reduced lab time at 60 contact hours total; students should verify the format with the awarding institution.

Prerequisites

No prior ASL experience is required. The course assumes no prior signing background and begins with the manual alphabet and basic vocabulary. Students with significant prior ASL exposure (heritage signers, family members of Deaf individuals, prior ASL coursework) should consult with the instructor or department about placement; advanced placement options may be available at some institutions.

Sequence Position

The Florida public-college ASL sequence is: ASL1140C → ASL1150C (completing the typical two-semester A.A. foreign-language requirement). Students intending to pursue interpreting careers continue into the ASL/English Interpreter A.S. degree, which extends well beyond the two-semester general-education sequence.

Silent Voice Policy

Most ASL courses operate under a silent voice classroom policy, meaning that students and the instructor communicate in ASL (or through writing) during class time, with limited or no spoken English. This immersive policy is pedagogically essential for visual-language acquisition. Students with disabilities affecting their ability to participate in a silent-voice format should consult the institution's office of accessibility services for reasonable accommodation.

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB)

FSDB in St. Augustine is the state-funded residential school for Deaf and blind students, serving Florida K-12 students and providing community outreach. Many Florida ASL programs maintain collaborative relationships with FSDB for student observation, immersive experiences, and guest presentations. FSDB is also a significant Florida employer for Deaf-education professionals.

AI Integration

Generative-AI tools currently have limited substantive application to ASL language acquisition. ASL is a visual-spatial language that cannot be effectively transcribed into text; current text-based AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) cannot evaluate signed production, provide feedback on handshape or non-manual markers, or substitute for receptive video practice. AI may be modestly useful for explaining ASL grammar concepts in English, generating English-to-ASL gloss exercises (with explicit recognition that ASL gloss is not ASL itself), or quizzing on Deaf culture content. The fundamental skills of ASL — visual attention, accurate sign production, receptive fluency, and cultural competence — are acquired through human-to-human interaction and cannot be replaced by AI-mediated practice. Students must consult institutional and instructor-specific policies on AI use.